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India Today
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
‘Dark versus fair': An ugly prejudice
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated April 14, 2025)In 21st century India, it does not matter that you are a woman who has broken the glass ceiling. Just a stray, unfeeling comment can transport you back to a place of insecurity that you thought you had left far behind. A time when the darker shade of your skin put you in the shadows, unseen, unheard and unwanted. Sarada Muraleedharan was in that place recently. Courtesy a careless remark thrown at her about her tenure as Kerala chief secretary being as black as her husband's was white, the black labelling bearing 'the quiet subtext of being a woman'. Long inured to the casual colourism she had encountered all her life, Sarada decided to 'call this one out' on a Facebook post simply because of the speaker's implied equivalence of black with 'the ne'er do good, black the malaise, the cold despotism, the heart of darkness'.advertisement advertisement The eloquent post reopened an old wound as it were and reignited the debate about the ugly, unfair prejudice Indians continue to harbour against someone dark of skin. A whole sea of condemnation erupted on mainstream and social media in response to Sarada's post, with hashtags like #Unfair&Lovely beginning to trend widely, challenging the norm, and celebrating darker skin tones. The actress Kani Kusruti, who left a lasting impression with her performance in Payal Kapadia's All We Imagine as Light, the first Indian film to win a Grand Prix award at Cannes, wrote an impassioned column in a leading daily, talking of how, even as a child, her relatives asked her to wear only light-coloured clothes because 'if you wear black or any other dark shade, we can't see you'. There is a hierarchy of colour, she went on to add, especially for women and girls, and therefore of beauty. Model-actress Poulomi Das recounted how she was on the verge of bagging a lead role in a television show only to learn that the channel rejected her on grounds of skin five years ago, Das was the face of Glow & Lovely, the new name for India's most famous skin-whitening cream brand, after worldwide protests, including the #BlackLivesMatter movement, saw Hindustan Unilever replace the word 'fair' with 'glow' in 2020. That change proved to be, well, cosmetic. The skin lightening business is a booming one in India, worth $1.3-1.5 billion (Rs 11,100-12,800 crore) currently, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 6.5-7.2 per cent over the next decade, according to a report on the subject by the Pune-based market research firm Future Market Insights. Fairness continues to be the ideal of beauty, with few dark-skinned role models in mainstream media or Hindi films, while social media is replete with visual representations of fairness as a marker of success and happiness. Meanwhile, despite growing awareness, matrimonial advertisements continue to exhibit a preference for 'light-skinned' brides. A 2018 survey of such ads showed that over 60 per cent of the men wanted fair-skinned women. 'Women's bodies are their currency in the marriage market. For a dark-skinned man who is doing well financially, marrying a light-skinned normatively beautiful woman can be a trophy to further signal his status and power,' says Radhika Parameswaran, professor at The Media School, Indiana University, US, who has done extensive research on colourism in India. 'And as is the case in many different countries where physical appearance becomes an insidious factor in workplace success and mobility, it is not surprising that Indians, and especially women, worry that all things being equal, a light-skinned person could end up being favoured for work opportunities.'advertisement (Photo: Hardik Chhabra) (Getty Images) INDIANS AND COLOURISMColourism, a term coined by the celebrated Black writer Alice Walker in 1982 to describe the prejudicial or preferential treatment meted out to people of the same race on the basis of colour, is an open secret in our country. Some scholars like Dr Vivek Kumar, a sociologist at the School of Social Sciences in Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, trace its origin to when the first fair-skinned Indo-Aryans encountered the dark-skinned Dravidians, original inhabitants of the land, and then began to rule over the people and designated themselves as nobility. 'Racial theory was constructed in sociological terms with the advent of the Aryans,' says Kumar. He, however, stops short of attributing colour discrimination to the caste system, saying it was in its infancy when skin colour began to be assigned value. It was organised more around the professions individuals practised than by birth, and became hereditary only much later, he instead attributes the modern-day obsession with skin colour to the colonialists—the Portuguese, the French, the Dutch and, eventually, the British, who stayed the longest. 'Our gods—Vishnu, Shiva, Ram, Krishna—are all portrayed as dark-skinned. Draupadi—the beautiful queen of the Mahabharata—is explicitly dark-skinned,' he says. 'The association of beauty and aspiration with white skin is a gift of European colonial rulers.' British ethnographer Herbert Hope Risley, in fact, classified Indians into broad racial types in 1915, identifying Dravidians as dark-complexioned and the Indo-Aryans as fairer. This classification hewed close to India's own colour associations with caste, wherein Brahmins were regarded to be generally fair-skinned and lower castes and tribals believed to have darker skin, ideas that have survived well into the modern By the time the British left, colourism had taken firm root in the Indian psyche. Women came to bear a disproportionate brunt of this unfair burden, as caste, patriarchy and economic status colluded to bestow a sense of inferiority on the less fair. Dark skin was seen as an abomination, from the time relatives in a family set eyes upon a child born dark. Names like Kali or Kaalia were perhaps as common and accepted as euphemisms like Shyam or Shyamolie. Taunts followed into childhood, none more familiar than 'Kaali kaluti, baingan looti', the colour purple, robbed off an aubergine. The prejudice was perpetuated in school and college, not just by other children but often even by the teachers. Worse was the 'internalised racism', or, as Parameswaran says, 'people at the receiving end of such discrimination turning around and denigrating those with darker skins'. There would be solicitous advice to use home-made remedies such as a haldi-malai ubatan or off-the-shelf salves like Vicco Turmeric or Fair & Lovely that promised to make the skin colour 2023 study by researchers at the Institute of Cognitive Science, Osnabrck University, Germany, on colourism in the Indian subcontinent, confirmed these trends. It concluded that the 'various skin colour discriminating structures from birth and in all social settings invade the minds of anybody involved and thus structure the ways through which people affectively experience themselves and others. They work as affective scaffolds and tools that lead people to internalise norms and values that conform to superior-inferior parameters of the colour hierarchy. Eventually, people develop an orientation which prefers whiteness against their own best interests.' THE CONSEQUENCES OF COLOURISMLittle wonder, entire generations of young children grow up believing they are not good enough because of the colour of their skin, buying into the narrative whole-heartedly. Everywhere they look—on cinema screens, covers of magazines, advertisements—they have fair faces staring back at them. Hema Malini, Shabana Azmi, Rekha or Smita Patil were the exceptions, not the rule. The Hindi film hero serenaded the fair maiden with songs that went 'Yeh kaali kaali aankhein, yeh gore gore gaal' (these black eyes, fair cheeks) or 'Gore gore mukhde pe kala kala chashma' (dark glasses on a fair face). If there was any consolation, it was in the words 'Hum kaale hain toh kya hua, dilwale hain' (so what if we are dark, we are big of heart). It was in the world of ramp modelling that dusky beauty found recognition and a Laxmi Menon became a standard of beauty in her own right. It did little though for the dark-skinned girl in the marriage market. Wedding website even had a Fitzpatrick scale of sorts for Indian skin tones, till universal outrage forced them to take it is not the end of that discrimination. A 2021 study in Sage Journals by Reena Kukreja of Queens University in Canada surveyed 57 villages across four Indian states—Haryana, Rajasthan, Odisha and West Bengal—to find out if the skin tone affected the married life of people from 'darker' states who married those from the 'fairer' northern states. Of the 100-plus women who were interviewed, half reported colourism, or frequently being called 'kala kauwwa' (black crow) or 'kaali nagin' (black serpent). The families they married into attributed their skin colour to being from the 'inferior' castes, even impure. Some of them even reported being barred from eating with the family, or even cooking for them. Colourism spilled into work spaces too, the bias most visible in appearance-focused industries such as tourism and hospitality, aviation, retail, media and entertainment. Indian films are replete with examples of dark-skinned women being cast in tertiary, stereotypical roles, seldom the leads (see Fifty Shades of Prejudice). The world of classical arts is not immune to the malaise either. Last year, classical dancer Kalamandalam Sathyabhama drew widespread criticism for making derogatory remarks against Mohiniyattam dancer R.L.V. Ramakrishnan, who was from a Dalit background. Comparing his complexion to that of a crow, she deemed him unfit for that graceful genre of dance saying only 'fair-skinned, good-looking men' are eligible to perform it. Ramakrishnan was later appointed assistant professor at the Kerala who experience colourism or racism, a 2019 study in the journal Perspectives on Psychological Science points out, are more likely to develop hypertension, psychological distress and are more prone to health-related issues. Consistent negative messaging and incidents in their life lead to their internalising shame, anxiety and fear, which may manifest in cognitive or physical stress. 'With so much pressure to conform to a certain 'idea' of what is beautiful, young children really struggle to fit in and socialise, with those who don't conform getting subjected to typecasting, ostracisation and bullying for being different,' says psychologist Upasana that have only intensified in the past two decades, according to Parameswaran. Blame it on social media, whose algorithm-laden bubbles prioritise glossy images that exude perfection. Many a young, impressionistic mind thinks nothing of using a filter or an AI tool to project a picture of how they would wish to look rather than how they actually are. And no one has profited more from this insecurity than the beauty industry. THE FAIRNESS BOOMYou may not call them fairness creams any more in these politically-correct times, but the 'skin lightening' business has not gone anywhere. It is expected to cross $2.4 billion (Rs 20,500 crore, at current exchange rates) by 2030, propelled primarily by urban and semi-urban areas, lured as they are by the spread of online beauty retail, an increased availability of brands and the massive social media buzz around skin it's not just women who are buying into the spiel, men are too. 'I have been doing facials and blackhead removals for a few years now. I see nothing wrong with it,' says 17-year-old Arjun Mehta (name changed) from a prominent Delhi school. A 2020 research paper in the journal Open Linguistics traced how television commercials at the turn of the 21st century began to push male skin lightening products. In a departure from the 'tall, dark and handsome' trope of the West, Fair and Handsome, as a male fairness cream was called, was promoted as a desirable attribute, a fundamental trait for male creams of yore are passe, a whole range of specialised serums, masks and body products now promise an even skin tone, reduction of hyperpigmentation, even reversing your age. Beauty parlours now offer not just plain fruit facials and bleaches, they have become 'clinics' now, offering laser and chemical solutions to your skin 'problems' (see The Beauty Bazaar). Fairness is also no longer about the face, there are also whitening options for even the armpits and the vagina. TOWARDS SKIN POSITIVITYSo where do we go from here? The needle may be moving, even if ever so slightly. 'Certainly, activism around beauty norms and how they stigmatise people and damage them psychologically has resulted in a welcome expansion of beauty-related products and services globally,' says Parameswaran. Inclusion has become a buzzword in the beauty lexicon, the catwalks have become exemplars of diversity. Barbie now has darker-skinned versions in an attempt to normalise dark skin, while theatre and cinema are finding roles and a place for Black and brown actors. Dark is now divine and brown is beautiful. Pivoting to the new reality, companies have come up with exclusive make-up for the darker Indian skin tone. Ghazal Alagh, co-founder & Chief Innovation Officer of Honasa Consumer, which has brands like Mamaearth, The Derma Co. and Bblunt as part of its portfolio, says, 'When we started Mamaearth, we made a conscious decision to not create or market products that promise fairness. Instead, we focused on healthy, well-nourished skin. Inclusivity also meant challenging the visual representation in beauty advertising. From day one, we ensured we featured real, diverse Indian skin tones in our campaigns.' At FAE Beauty, there is a strict policy against filters and Photoshop. 'We don't want to propagate unrealistic body standards and want consumers to see things just as they are. Our content is raw, unfiltered,' says their founder Karishma is still some way to go, though. 'Campaigns by celebrities can only be on the surface and a start,' says Parameswaran, 'they have not gone deep into the caste and class consciousness of the Indian psyche.' She believes sensitisation to social and workplace discrimination based on colourism and sexism needs to start early, in elementary school perhaps, 'not in a chance workshop after you are an adult and have weathered much trauma.' Brands, says an expert from the beauty and personal care industry who does not want to be named, need to do more than just pay lip service to inclusion. They may have a model with a dark skin tone in their promotions, but that inclusion is not visible in their product range. Even today, they may launch 15 light to medium foundations but have just four in the deep to tan skin are even advocating 'skin neutrality', or treating the skin as just another organ and not drawing attention to it at all. Many celebrities, from Selena Gomez to Shanaya Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, have been posting selfies free of make-up, filters and touch-ups to show that they too have blemishes and not so perfect skins. Of course one can still have negative thoughts about their skin colour, particularly if they have been subjected to colourism. But it is a step towards not hating yourself for your skin colour, rather making your peace with it, and celebrating it.—with Sonal KhetarpalCase study | 'Women's empowerment on TV is garbage'Poulomi Das | 29 | Model-actress Two months ago, Poulomi Das was on the verge of bagging a lead role in a TV show only to learn that the channel rejected her on grounds of her skin colour. 'I got to know from friends at the channel that they didn't take me because 'she is too dark, she should look like an MD' (Managing Director),' Poulomi recounts. 'These channels which show women empowerment, they are bullsh***ing. If you look into their minds, it's full of garbage and outdated ideas. In India, none of us is white. It's 200 years of British colonisation and the prejudiced mindset which still persists.'Naysayers and bullies don't deter Poulomi who proudly goes as 'The Brown Queen' on Instagram. She has learned to give it back to colourists, be it on Bigg Boss OTT (2024), where a fellow contestant made a derogatory remark on her complexion, or online trolls. 'They can't tamp down my aura because they think I am not good enough. When they said you don't look like a lead, I was like 'In my life story, I am the lead',' she says, having appeared in shows like Suhani Si Ek Ladki and Kartik 2020-21, Poulomi would become the face of Hindustan Lever's Glow & Lovely, a feat she's proud of since it involved the brand changing its strategy from being a fairness to a BB cream. 'If they are owning their mistake and changing their motive and doing justice to my skin tone, then why shouldn't I support them? We all need to evolve,' she says. Enjoying a vacation in Kerala, she says she was going to come back 10 times darker than she is. 'I'm loving it.'—Suhani SinghCase study | 'When kicked out of dance group, I thought I was ugly'Snigdha Nair | 25 | Assistant film director (Photo: Mandar Deodhar) She was just two and a half years old when she had come home from playschool and put her hand next to her mother's and pronounced: 'Kikka (Snigdha's pet name) kaali, mama gori'—I'm black, mamma is fair. 'My mother was heartbroken,' she recalls, 'and went to the nursery that very day to ask what was said in school.' For Snigdha, the episode demonstrates how discrimination against dark skin begins early, even before a child can string a sentence school, she'd be called 'kaali saand' (black bull), and in Class 10 she would find herself kicked out of the dance group because her complexion did not suit the composition of the rest of the group. 'That's when it struck me hard, that may be I'm ugly,' recounts Snigdha. By the time Covid-19 kicked in, holed up at home, her insecurities peaked to a degree that she began seeking brightening products to 'fix' herself. The experience compelled her to shoot a short titled 'You', documenting the melancholia of a young insecure a part of the film industry, Snigdha says it's routine to see 'fair-skinned' as a requisite for female parts in casting calls. But she has now evolved enough to realise that her skin tone is not something that needs 'acceptance'. 'It's not a deformity, it's normal.'—Suhani SinghCase study | 'I was told though you're dark, you're beautiful inside'Preeti Das | 48 | Actor, stand-up performer and story-teller My dark skin has always been a source of curiosity and a lot of resentment. As a teenager, I was turned down by two elite boutiques saying we don't have clothes that will suit your skin colour, please try elsewhere. The jibes cut as deep today. As an actor, only a few stereotyped roles come your way. But the terminology that industry employs is even more shocking: make-up artists are often briefed to apply 'Dalit' or 'tribal' make-up—both insinuating 'burn her skin'. Once, after a stand-up performance, amidst applause, a light-skinned lady came up to me and said, 'Brilliantthough you are dark-skinned, you are beautiful inside.'There are many jokes I laugh at, though they are not funny. My husband happens to be light-skinned and the 'joke' at the time of our marriage was our children will be like a chessboard. In my interactions with children, I see a perpetuation of those biases. Dark-skinned girls have tears in their eyes when I talk of discrimination in my stories; yet, an evil or negative character will only always be dark.—as told to Jumana ShahCase study | 'I was called Blackie, African'Ritika Anil Kumar | 28 | Communications manager, Creatnet Education, Delhi (Photo: Mandar Deodhar) When Ritika speaks about the prejudice she endured due to her dark skin, her amused chuckle masks years of navigating societal biases that began in early childhood. During her formative years at a Christian school in Tiruvalla, Kerala, classmates taunted her with derogatory nicknames like 'Blackie', 'Black Beauty' and 'African'.Even at the tender age of six, Ritika sensed something was 'not right' about her skin tone, a perception reinforced by relatives who frequently compared her to her lighter-skinned brother. Well-intentioned but harmful 'treatments' suggested by her grandmother further cemented the notion that her dark complexion was somehow unwavering support from her physician parents helped Ritika develop resilience against colourist remarks. Her mother's wisdom—'your outside does not determine what is inside you'—became Ritika's emotional armour, making her thick-skinned to cope with the bias.—Bandeep SinghSubscribe to India Today Magazine
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Naruto still strongest ninja in Boruto, says creator
In the world of Boruto, the sequel to the famous ninja anime Naruto, new heroes like Boruto and Sarada are rising with powerful abilities. But despite their growth, the original hero, Naruto Uzumaki , still holds the title of the strongest even years later. Here's what the creator says, and how the new generation compares. Boruto Sarada show new powers in two blue vortex In Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, the story jumps forward after a timeskip. Boruto Uzumaki returns with powerful new abilities. He trained with Sasuke Uchiha, then learned more advanced jutsu from Kashin Koji. With Karma from Momoshiki and his own technique called Uzuhiko, Boruto is now strong enough to fight giant enemies like the Shinju clones. Sarada Uchiha also gained a new form of power. She awakened her Mangekyo Sharingan and revealed a move called Ohirume. This lets her create black holes and control gravity, crushing enemies in just one attack. Her fight against Ryu showed that she is now one of the strongest young ninjas. Naruto's baryon mode still most powerful in series Even with Boruto and Sarada's growth, they still haven't passed Naruto Uzumaki. His Baryon Mode, used in his fight against Isshiki Otsutsuki, is the most powerful form seen in the series. It gave Naruto strength beyond any ninja, even the Otsutsuki clan. Sasuke confirmed that Naruto's power in that moment was the highest ever recorded. However, Baryon Mode came at a cost. Naruto lost Kurama, the Nine Tails, after using it, and he can't use this mode again. Still, that short fight proved Naruto's unmatched strength and no one has topped it yet. Can Boruto or Sarada surpass Naruto one day? Right now, Naruto is still the strongest ninja . But Boruto and Sarada are getting closer. Sarada aims to become Hokage, just like Naruto, while Boruto protects the world in his own way like Sasuke once did. If Naruto returns from Daikokuten with new power, he may raise the bar even higher. Until then, fans are watching to see if the new generation can one day beat his record. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 22 releases on May 20, 2025, at 10 AM EST / 3 PM UTC. You can read it for free on the MANGA Plus and Shonen Jump apps.
News18
28-04-2025
- Politics
- News18
‘Want To Live As Indian': Pak Woman, Married To Hindu Man For 35 Years In India, Asked To Leave
Last Updated: In immediate non-military measure against Pakistan, the MHA had ordered the cancellation of all visas to Pakistani nationals after the Pahalgam terror attack. Sarada Bai, a Pakistani national who has been married to a Hindu family in India for over 35 years, has been asked by the police to leave the country and return to her native place without delay. Sarada, who has been living in Odisha for years, has been threatened with legal action if she fails to comply with the police orders. The police said that her visa has been cancelled after the Ministry of Home Affairs ordered the cancellation of all visas to Pakistani nationals, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. Who Is Sarada Bai? Sarada has been married to a Hindu man, Mahesh Kukreja, in Odisha's Bolangir and has a son and a daughter who hold Indian nationality. She has not yet got Indian citizenship even though she holds documents such as a voter ID. The woman has urged the government 'with folded hands" to allow her to reside in India 'as an Indian". 'First, I lived in Koraput, then I moved to Bolangir. I don't have any family in Pakistan. Even my passport is very old. I request the government and all of you with folded hands to please let me stay here. I have two grown-up children and grandchildren. I want to live here as an Indian," she said. A day after the Pahalgam attack on April 22, the government announced immediate measures against Pakistan, which include the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, cancellation of visas to all Pakistani nationals, and closure of the Attari border. First Published:
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Business Standard
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
'Where will I go?' Odisha woman faces deportation to Pak after 35 years
Sarada Bai, 55, has called India home for more than three decades. She raised a family here, built a life in Odisha's Bolangir district, and never thought she would one day be asked to leave. But now, as tensions between India and Pakistan rise in the aftermath of Pahalgam terror attack, Sarada faces deportation to a country she barely remembers. According to a report in The Indian Express, Sarada was born in Pakistan's Sindh province. She came to India in 1987 on a 60-day visa with her father and six siblings. The family settled in Odisha's Koraput district, and a few years later, Sarada married a local businessman. For the past 35 years, she has lived in Bolangir, raising two children and now caring for two grandchildren. 'My family is here. India is my home,' she told the newspaper. But a letter from the district police has changed everything. On Saturday, Sarada received an official notice directing her to leave India. The letter, signed by the Superintendent of Police, said she neither holds a valid long-term visa nor qualifies under the exempted categories. 'You are directed to quit India at the earliest,' the letter warned, adding that legal action would follow if she failed to comply. 'I have no one in Pakistan,' Sarada said. 'I haven't even spoken to anyone there in years, not even over the phone. My life is here, my children are Indian citizens. Why should I be forced to leave?' Tensions spill over after Pahalgam terror attack Sarada's situation is not unique. She is one of 12 Pakistani nationals living in Odisha who have been issued exit notices in recent days. The sudden move comes after the Indian government revoked all valid visas issued to Pakistani citizens, following a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22. The attack, which left 26 people dead, has reignited tensions between the two nuclear-powered neighbours. India has blamed Pakistan-based terror groups for the violence, prompting a series of diplomatic measures from New Delhi. On April 26, the Ministry of External Affairs announced that all existing visas for Pakistani nationals would be cancelled with effect from April 27. Medical visas would be valid until April 29. For people like Sarada, the announcement came without warning—and without clarity on what comes next. Sarada says she had applied for Indian citizenship years ago but never received a response. Now, she fears she will be forced to leave behind everything she knows. 'I just want to stay with my children. This is my home. Where will I go?'
Indian Express
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Living in Odisha for three decades, Pak-born woman gets exit notice: ‘Have no one there'
Among those hit by the Centre's decision to revoke visas issued to Pakistan nationals is 55-year-old Pakistan-born Sarada Bai, who is married to an Indian citizen and has been living in Odisha for more than three decades. Sarada Bai — Sarada Kukreja after marriage — was born in Sukkur city in Pakistan's Sindh province in 1970, according to her Pakistani passport. She said the district police sent her an exit notice stating that she neither has a long-term visa or falls under exempted categories. The police order warned her of legal action if she failed to leave the country. Sarada said her father came to India on a 60-day visa with his six children in 1987 and settled in Odisha's Koraput district. Sarada got married to a businessman in Bolangir about 35 years back, and now has a son and a daughter and two grandchildren, who are Indian citizens. Sarada, who claims to have a Voter ID and an Aadhaar card, said she applied for Indian citizenship long back but has not been able to get it. The letter issued by the Bolangir Superintendent of Police on Saturday said: 'As per our available record, you neither have a valid LTV [long-term visa] nor come under the above exempted category of visas. Hence, you are directed to quit India at the earliest as deemed proper failing which legal action will be taken against you.' Speaking to reporters, she requested the government to not separate her from her family and said she had no one in Pakistan. 'Ever since I came here, I have considered India my country. My family is in India and I don't want to go to Pakistan. I have never even spoken to anyone in Pakistan, even over the phone.' According to officials, the state government has issued exit notices to 12 Pakistani nationals residing in Odisha for years in various districts. While many of them have been staying on long-term visas, some have been staying without valid documents. 'We have issued notices and asked them to leave the country as per the decision of the government of India. If they fail to do so, appropriate action will be taken against them,' said a senior police officer. One of these people is from Bhubaneswar, said the city's Deputy Commissioner Jagmohan Meena. Three such notices have been issued in Cuttack and one in Balasore, according to officials.
